<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>A Greater Power by TheSongtress</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23175139">A Greater Power</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSongtress/pseuds/TheSongtress'>TheSongtress</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shall We Date?: Obey Me!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Eventual Smut, F/M, Opening, Slow Build</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 14:54:40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,096</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23175139</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSongtress/pseuds/TheSongtress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Kinda of a slow burn love triangle, eventual smut kinda deal.  Lots of tension building, sexual and otherwise.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Sleight of Hand</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The pieces were falling into place better than he could have ever anticipated.  Being accepted into the exchange program at The Royal Academy of Diavolo was the stepping stone he had been waiting for all these years.  The seven demon lords were not easy demons to get close to, but being in Devildom gave him daily access to them.  Striking a pact with each of them could essentially turn the tide completely.   He shut the lid on his suitcase with a resounding snap and lifted it from the bed as he turned towards the door.   A smile flicked across his face as he reached for the light switch, it was all just a matter of time now.<br/>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p> Aria had always been very confident in her ability to stay calm in a crisis.  She kept a cool level head and always schooled her emotions to perfection, even in the most dire of situations. The moment she woke up on the cold floor of a strange gothic room, all thoughts of composure went out the window.</p><p>    Confusion.  That was the first emotion that registered in Aria’s mind.   Waking up in a strange place with men who looked like modern day Adonises was bound to make a person question their mental stability.  None of it made sense, at least to her.  Exchange program?   While she had decided on a year abroad, a year in the equivalent of the underworld was a little more than she had bargained for.  </p><p>    Fear struck her next.  Oh my gods.  Demons.  With the introduction of each of the “brothers” everything sank in a little deeper.  These were actual demons.   Years of  myths and legends circulated in her head as she fought to keep from visibly shaking; the recognizable names sent tendrils of fear through her body. The room was large but she felt like the walls were closing in on her.  They were here to help her, she was told; though she was sure that the big one, Beelzebub, would eat her alive, given half a chance.</p><p>   The panic is what struck her last.  How would she survive this?  She had been here less than an hour and she had already received enough evidence from her so-called guide to know that she was not really wanted.  It was all too much. Every step she took burned with the urge to run.  It seemed like hours before she actually made it back to her room and when she finally shut the door to her room, she felt herself slip to the floor as last of her determination slipping away as she started to cry.<br/>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>  Rest had not come easy and the rest that Aria had found was not peaceful.  She had tossed and turned, paranoia and fear plaguing her subconscious mind.   By the time that morning rolled around, she was far too exhausted to be upset about her predicament.  She pried herself out of bed with a resounding groan and walked to the bathroom.<br/>
She turned on the shower before she gave herself an appraising glance in the mirror.  Dark circles lined her brown eyes, standing out in stark contrast to her light skin.  She reached into a drawer and pulled out her brush.  She pulled it through her hair, the copper brown strands resisted, having been knotted during the tossing and turning of the night.  </p><p>    Having sufficiently removed the offending tangles, she set the brush down with a resigned sigh.   She undressed quickly, throwing her clothes into the corner and walked into shower with hope that the heat and the smell of her lavender shampoo would help wash away some of her unease.<br/>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>     Aria had run late, again.  “At least no one can say that I am not consistent”, she grumbled to herself as she ran up the path to the school.  She had a knack for running behind. She pushed open the ornate double doors, made her way into the school and started to walk up the large staircase that dominated the room.   She reached into her pocket and grabbed the phone-like device she had been given when she arrived; a DDD they had told her.  She pressed the button to illuminate the screen just as a conversation drifted down from the staircase above her that made her blood run cold.</p><p>    “Hey, check it out.  That’s the human that everyone’s been talking about.  You think it’s true what they say, that Mammon became a babysitter?”  </p><p>    Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed two students standing near the top of the stairs.  They had to be talking about her.  She hadn’t met the other human exchange student yet but the second oldest brother had been assigned to watch over her and what a swell job he was doing so far. </p><p>    “Well if so, then I’d say that actually works out great, doncha think?  If we wait and strike when he’s not paying attention, he’ll never figure out it was us. C’mon, we should devour the human before Beel does.”</p><p>     Panic once again ripped through her.   Aria knew that there was nowhere that she could hide at this point.  She was standing at the bottom  of a staircase.  Her only option was to make a run for it and she wasn’t even completely sure if she could outrun then.  She turned to run in the opposite direction, only to find herself colliding with a solid mass.  </p><p>   “ Hey, you,” steady hands gripped her shoulders and helped her regain a steady position rather than tumbling down the stairs, “there.”<br/>
Aria looked up into a pair of eyes that were such a light blue that they were almost grey with just a little hint of….. Was it yellow?  She blinked, realizing that she had been staring and glanced to each side to make sure the voice  wasn’t addressing someone else.  </p><p>    “That’s right, I’m talking to you.”  She turned to the man still gripping her shoulders.  He was taller than her with hair a peculiar shade of silver white and a delicate curve to his face.  He had a pompous but amused look as he continued.  “That’s right, I am talking to you, the human with that frightened, tormented look on your face that demons love so much. You’re practically screaming ‘Come eat me now!  I’m scrumptious!’”.  He chuckled at his own joke.  “Your name is Aria, isn’t it?”</p><p>    Aria could feel the flush on her face.  She had not realized that her emotions were written so clearly on her face.  The lack of sleep obviously had her off her game.  She nodded in reply as she regained her composure.  This was becoming quite the emotional rollercoaster.</p><p>    “And this here”, he raised his hand brandishing her DDD, “belongs to you, right?  I am pretty sure I saw you drop it when we collided,” he took a hold of  her left  hand, turning it palm side up.  His hand was warm and his  fingers brushed hers as he put the device in her palm and closed her fingers around it.  She looked down at it.  It was strange, she didn’t recall dropping it to begin with.    </p><p>    He must have seen the wheels turning in her head because he dropped her hand and cocked his head so the side rakishly, “What’s with that look?”</p><p>   “I don’t have a look”, Aria blurted defensively. </p><p>    “You don’t have to be suspicious of me,” he advised, raising one hand to shield his words in a mockingly conspiratorial manner.  “I am Solomon and I am also an exchange student from the human realm.”</p><p>   His mocking tone did anything but reassure her.  She looked up at him, suspicion written all over her face. “Are you really human?” </p><p>    He stood up straight, a little taken aback and then he burst out laughing. “That’s a good question. Between you and me, sometimes I am not even sure.  It all depends on who you ask,”  he mused.  He reached forward and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, his hand lingering for a moment.  “Regardless, I am fairly sure that I am indeed still human, though it may not seem like it at times.” </p><p>    Solomon dropped his hand.  “I’d better get going.”  He gave her one last appraising look before he set off.  “I’ll see you around, Aria,” he called over his shoulder, his voice dripping with unspoken promises, “and do try to take care of yourself.”  </p><p>    Aria watched him walk away.  ‘That…. That was odd’, she thought to herself as he turned the corner and left her sight.   She wasn’t sure if he was being sincere or just condescending.  It would be nice to have another human that she was able to trust but she wasn’t quite ready to believe that Solomon was going to be that person.  She was so wrapped up in her own thought that she did not notice the shadow that had passed over her. </p><p>    “Good morning, Aria,” came a deep voice from behind her, “You’ve become quite the celebrity here, haven’t you?”  Aria  jumped with a yelp, catching the railing beside her to avoid tumbling down the stairs.  She spun around to find Lucifer looking down at her. </p><p>    “Good morning, Sir,”  she muttered as she adjusted the bag on her shoulder and smoothed out her uniform.  His mere presence unnerved her.  After their meeting yesterday, she had ascertained that out of the seven brothers, Lucifer was the one who was not to be trifled with.  </p><p>    “Looks like you made it through the night without being eaten, good for you.  Still, there is no guarantee that you’ll make it to tomorrow,” He smirked as he taunted her.  Did he not know that she was already terrified for her life without his menacing asides.  His face turned serious for a moment as he looked toward the corner that Solomon had disappeared around.  “Was that Solomon I saw you talking with earlier?”</p><p>   She bristled, had he been watching her?  The thought made her uneasy and more than a little paranoid.  “ Yes, I suppose you could say that we kind of ran into each other.”<br/>
If Lucifer had heard what she said, he did not acknowledge it, “You and he are the only two students from the human world here, I suppose it makes sense that you would associate with each other.”  He looked down at her then and his dark eyes meeting hers. “But know that he can’t be trusted.  He may be a mere human, but he has a ring imbued with wisdom, and he wields powerful magic.  He’s the type of man who will try to subjugate even a powerful, greater demon if he gets the chance.”  A chill crept it’s way up Aria’s spine. She guessed that explained the arrogance.  If Aria  were someone with enough power that even Lucifer was wary, she  would probably be a little cocky as well. </p><p>    Subjugate a powerful, greater demon.   The words reminded her of the brotherly feud that she had been dragged into the day before.  Leviathan had wanted her to make a pact with his older brother and to do so, she needed to have leverage over Mammon.  Leverage that Leviathan had assured her was his confiscated credit card.    In her opinion, the dispute was trivial but she was not ready to suffer Leviathan’s wrath if she refused help.  Otaku or not, he was a demon and she wasn’t sure what he was capable of.  </p><p>    Aria opened her mouth and tried to decide what the best method of getting information from him would be.  He intimidated her, that much was sure and the words died in mind before they ever made their way onto her tongue.  </p><p>    “What is it, Aria?  Is there something that you want to ask me?”  He smiled at her smugly.  Why the hell was everyone here so smug!?  He had to know what his presence did to someone like her, that icy smoothness laced with his burning good looks.  It was almost too much to bear.</p><p>   “I-I ….”, she squared her shoulders, swallowed back as much of her fear as she could, “I’d like to know more about Mammon.”</p><p>    “Mammon?  Why do you want to know about him all of a sudden?”  There was almost an edge of outrage to his voice before his features schooled themselves quickly. “Still, I guess it is only natural, considering he’s the one assigned to look after you.”  He sighed,  agitation obvious among his perfect features, “Mammon is my brother.  I don’t want to say anything unkind about him.  So, I’ll try to be sparing in my criticism.  Lightly put, he is pure, unfiltered disgusting scum to the point that I’m embarrassed to call him a fellow demon, let alone my brother.”</p><p>    Aria was pretty sure that her jaw hit the floor.  She had never had an exceeding close relationship with her siblings but she had never in her life said something that cruel about them, and this was not the first time that she had heard one of the brothers talk poorly of Mammon.  The day before, Leviathan had said as much to his face.  Gods above, no wonder the guy acted like a grade A douche, it was probably a defense mechanism.  </p><p>    Her shock seemed to amuse Lucifer out of his tirade.  “So, any particular reason you asked or are you just curious?”  She closed her gaping mouth.  He was either on to her or flat out knew what she was doing.  Perhaps this was the time to be bold and go down swinging.  </p><p>   “I want to know what kind of weaknesses Mammon has.  I don’t like the idea of being defenseless.”</p><p>  “So you are implying that you think that I know his weaknesses and can exploit them when I like? Because I suppose that is true in a way, though not the only reason that he has to listen to me.”  Aria was sure that she did not want to know what other holds Lucifer had over Mammon; she could not imagine that they would be at all pleasant.  “But as long as we’re on the subject, it just so happens that I’ve taken one particular weakness of his and frozen it.”</p><p>    The bell tolled then and Lucifer dismissed her to go to her class with a warning not to be late.  She made her way up the stairs.  If Mammon’s greatest weakness was his credit card and Lucifer had frozen it….  Wait… did he mean that he had frozen it in the figurative sense or had he actually frozen it.  She didn’t have time to figure that out now, but it appeared that she would be making a trip to the kitchen later this evening.<br/>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>   The classroom was bright and three figures sat around a table, each holding a hand of cards. The atmosphere was friendly for the most part but there was an undercurrent of unease running through.  </p><p>   “ Read ‘em and weep,” Solomon slapped his cards down on the table with a wicked grin.  The other two participants at the table groaned with disbelief.  </p><p>    “Ugh, I don’t believe it,” the fifth eldest demon brother Asmodues whined, “All I needed was the ace of spades!”  He stuck his bottom lip out in a pouty expression as he laid his card on the table.  </p><p>    Satan followed suit and discarded his hand as well.  “So, Solomon wins again, huh?,” the fourth eldest brother said with a bit of suspicion.  “How many times in a row is that?”<br/>
Solomon smirked, the suspicion not at all lost on him, “This makes 183 times for me now.”   He knew that they suspected him of using magic to win, which he denied of course.  They didn’t need to know that he was employing the use of a little sleight of hand to make sure that he always won.  He liked having the upper hand.  </p><p>   Solomon watched as Satan reached across the table and collected the cards and began to shuffle the cards with obvious aggression.  There was no love lost between Solomon and Satan; they had never really been what one would call friends.  He knew that Satan tolerated him only because of the pact he held with his brother.  </p><p>    “You know,” Satan started, breaking the awkward silence that had started to creep into the group, “I heard something interesting from Lucifer today.”  He tapped the deck lightly on the table.  “He said that Aria is trying to make a pact with Mammon.”   </p><p>    “What?!?”Asmodeus gasped, looking genuinely surprised.  “Aria? Make a pact with Mammon?!”</p><p>   “Interesting”, Solomon said under his breath. This was indeed an unexpected turn of events.  </p><p>    “According to Lucifer, Aria has teamed up with Levi,” Satan offered.  “They’re planning on making a deal with Mammon to get what they want.  It seems that they are looking for that credit card of his that Lucifer confiscated.”   </p><p>      “So, they plan to pressure him to enter the pact in exchange for the credit card then”, Solomon mused to himself.  He was pleasantly surprised to hear that the meek girl who he had encountered earlier that day may be more than meets the eye.    When he had met her he had gotten no sense of torrid ambition from her, but maybe he had been wrong.  He laughed aloud.  </p><p>    “What’s so funny about that?” Asmodeus asked, looking more than a little perplexed. </p><p>    “Well it is quite a turn of events, now isn’t it:  I can’t help but think that Aria shows a lot of promise.”  Promise indeed.  He intended to find out exactly what lay beyond that promise.  He couldn’t be complacent, he had to figure her out and win her over before she managed to forge a pact with Lucifer before him.  </p><p>    “I would ask if you are concerned, but I have a feeling the answer is a resounding no,” Satan hedged.  Solomon could almost see Satan’s inner detective itching to ask more.   </p><p>    Solomon flashed Satan an evil grin.   Satan was right.  He was not concerned in the least.  He knew exactly what he was going to do with Aria.   He then grabbed the cards off the table and shuffled them elaborately. “So, who’s up for another game?”<br/>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>It is completely thanks to the Obey Me Host Group Chat that I had the confidence to publish this.  Seriously the best group I have ever met.</p><p> </p><p>Check out our group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/3498939490178746/</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter Two:</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Aria continues trying to navigate her time in Devildom, but finds herself just getting deeper into trouble.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It seemed that Aria was in for another night of restlessness.   She rolled to her right side and pulled a pillow tight to her chest.  She was glad to finally be alone.  Her classes had not been stressful; if anything she actually enjoyed them.  It was the company that made her uncomfortable.  Though they were delightful to look at, the demon lords made her exceedingly nervous.  </p>
<p>    It was obvious that Mammon thought of her as nothing more than a hindrance to his plans.  A monkey wrench in the works of whatever money-grubbing scheme he had going.  That seemed to be his thing.  It would have been a little more endearing if he wasn’t so rude to her.  </p>
<p>    Then there was Leviathan.  She still wasn’t sure if he was an actual threat or basically harmless, though she hoped the latter was true since she seemed all too wrapped up in his scheme.  It appeared to her that he stayed shut up in his room most of the time, which she supposed was why he had been so eager to get her involved rather than do his own dirty work.  </p>
<p>   Her annoyance flared then, as she recalled her exchange with Lucifer in the hallway earlier that day.  She couldn’t believe that he warned her against another human when he stood before her as the personification of alluring danger.  She wouldn’t deny that there was something off about Solomon, but Lucifer and his 6 brothers overshadowed that feeling completely.  </p>
<p>   Aria sat up in bed.  7 brothers.  She countered them off on her fingers.  Lucifer. Mammon. Leviathan. Satan. Asmodeus.  Beelzebub. That was only six and as far as she could remember, no one had even mentioned the youngest brother.  Who was he and why did no one speak of him?</p>
<p>    Her DDD chirped then.  She groped in the dark for her glasses, finding them on the bedside table where she left them, she shoved them on as she powered on the device.  She squinted, the bright light burning her eyes after hours of laying in the dark.  The message was from Leviathan.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>    “You said Lucifer mentioned having frozen something. Are you absolutely sure that is what he said?”</p>
<p>    “Yep, I’m absolutely sure.”</p>
<p>    “Come to the kitchen.  Right now.”</p>
<p>    Aria huffed, half tempted to send a haughty ‘yes, master’ in reply but didn’t want to give the demon any ideas.  She stood up, slipped on her shoes and reached into her closet pulling out a hoodie.  She pulled it over her head and heard her DDD chime again.  ‘Good Lord, what now,’ she thought before checking the message. </p>
<p>   “Don’t tell anyone what you’re doing.  I don’t want anyone to mistakenly think I hang out with some human 'normie'.”   </p>
<p>    She glared at the device once more before violently shoving it into her pocket.  Order her around and then insult her to boot; he had some nerve, that one.  She gave her bed a last longing glance, then opened the door and set out for the kitchen.  <br/>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p>
<p>    The air in the kitchen was warm and pleasant; the smell of dinner still lingered in the air.   The sensations relaxed her, allowing Aria to let out some of the tension that she had been holding on to the entire day.  She leaned against the countertop, savoring the calm before Leviathan arrived.  Wariness weighed on her and she closed her eyes for just a moment.  </p>
<p>   Aria heard something then; the sound of clinking glass and chewing.  There was someone else in the kitchen with her.   She surveyed her surroundings, fearful of another situation that would potentially end in her getting eaten.   She registered movement from the corner of her eye.  A looming figure whose features she could not make out in the dim light.  She felt herself start to back out the room; maybe she would be able to make it out without being noticed.  Forget Leviathan’s wrath, this was not the evening that she was going to die.  </p>
<p>    “Are you going to pretend like you didn’t see me here?”   Beelzebub stepped from the shadows.  “Or is it that you are planning to go tell on me?”   </p>
<p>    The statement struck Aria as odd until she noticed the crumbs dusting the large demon's shirt.  He was sneaking a midnight snack.  Something about that struck her as endearing and she fought to keep a smile from stretching her lips.  “No that wasn’t my intention at all.  I wasn’t sure who was here and I didn’t want to interrupt the wrong demon.”</p>
<p>    With that he seemed to relax a little bit and shrugged.  “I guess it doesn’t matter either way, though, what are you doing in the kitchen so late?”  Curiosity shove in his gaze and she felt a bit of heat rise to her cheeks.  </p>
<p>    “ I came here to meet with Leviathan,” she admitted.   Let him get mocked for hanging out with a ‘normie’, maybe that would teach him to be rude to her.  </p>
<p>    “You?  Meeting Levi?  Really?!”  The shock on Beelzebub’s face was blatant.  Apparently, the shut-in left his room less often than she actually realized.  “Huh….”, he mused, “That’s surprising.  </p>
<p>    There was a softness to his features that Aria hadn’t noticed the first time she saw him.  His red hair suited his complexion and though he was large in stature, there was something very  approachable about him.  Maybe it was the softness of the firelight, but it felt that he was a lot less intense than his brothers.  </p>
<p>   “What?” he asked her, watching her eyes assess him.  He shuffled uncomfortably under her gaze and she felt her heart beat a little faster.  My, he was a cute one, wasn’t he.   “Is there something you wanted to ask me?”</p>
<p>    The question brought her back to herself.   There was no hostility in the inquiry and she thought back to the questions she had accumulated throughout the day.   She didn’t want to waste this opportunity on just any question, she needed to find one that she may not have the chance to ask again.  </p>
<p>     Then it hit her, “I was wondering if you could tell me about the seventh brother, I noticed that no one….” </p>
<p>    The look on his face stopped her dead in her tracks.  What had been a soft open face now looked pained and angered.  “Now Listen….  Don’t you EVER mention him in front of Lucifer,” he snapped, defensiveness plain in his voice. “And I’m not going to tell you anything either.  Don’t bother asking any of my brothers.  NO ONE talks about him.”  Sadness clouded his eyes and his voice lowered, “Even though he’s our brother, we have to treat him like he doesn’t exist.  It’s not right.”  The last bit was all but a whisper and something inside of her ached to reach out and touch him, just to give him a little comfort.  He straightened then, his voice returning to a neutral tone.  “But no one can defy Lucifer.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>    So the assumption about Lucifer seemed to be right.  He was the one running things among the brothers and even they were hesitant to move against him.  She shivered and made another mental note to do her best to stay off of his radar.  No good could come from angering him, that was evident.  </p>
<p> </p>
<p>    “This isn’t any of your business, human.”  He took one last look in the refrigerator and found  nothing shut the door with a disappointed sigh.  “I’m leaving, I’ve eaten everything there was in here anyways.”  He turned and walked out of the room, leaving her with more unanswered questions than she started with.  <br/>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p>
<p>    It took Aria a good twenty minutes to calm Leviathan down after she found him hiding in the corner.  He had overheard her exchange with his younger brother and promptly spiraled out of control with thoughts of what the other demons were going to say.  Alright, so maybe telling Beelzebub was not her brightest idea; she would definitely remember this tirade next time she had the urge to stick it to one of them.  </p>
<p>    Once calm and refocused on finding their frozen leverage, Leviathan walked to  the freezer and peered inside.  Aria watched as he pushed aside old ice cream and peered around around the ice.  He let out a sudden shout of triumph and pulled out a block of ice with a credit card settled firmly in the middle.  </p>
<p>    He…. actually…. FROZE… it.   Aria let out an audible sigh at the obvious dad humor written all over this punishment, as Leviathan lugged the large block of ice towards the microwave. He reaches for the control to program the time as Mammon walks into the room.  </p>
<p>   “What with all the…..” Mammon stops mid-sentence as he lays eyes on what is in the microwave.  “Goldie!!”  The look on his face in that moment could only be described as longing; he really was in love with that thing.  “Get it outta there before the microwave demagnetizes it!!”  The brothers began shoving each other trying to be the first one to get the door open.    </p>
<p>    Aria rolled her eyes and walked behind them opening the door and smoothly pulling the card out of the microwave.  She set it on the counter behind her as Leviathan ran his brother through the list of his offenses.  It was obvious that Mammon had no recollection or remorse but was starting to show desperateness through his indignation.  </p>
<p>  “Enough, c’mon.  I’ll give you whatever you want just give me my card!” Mammon had conceded easily enough, though Aria had not expected him to put up much of a fight over an action figure that had apparently been laying on his floor under a pile of trash.</p>
<p>   An evil grin spread across Levithan’s face that would have rivaled even the most terrifying anime villain.  “Oh and there is one more condition,” glee and menace laced his voice, “ I want you to make a pact with this human.”  </p>
<p>    “A pact, fine”, he reached for the block of ice and Aria slid it down the counter just out of his reach.  “I’m more than happy to do whatever you….”   He froze then and turned to look at his younger brother.  “ Wait, you want me to do what?!?”</p>
<p>    Aria laughed then.  She wasn’t sure if it was the look of victory on Levithan’s face or the look of disbelief etched on Mammon’s but it had her reeling with laughter.  This whole situation was so ridiculous that she couldn’t help herself.  The two brothers stopped their argument to stare at her, which only lent to make her guffaw harder.   Leaning against the counter and covering her face as she fought to gain control of herself.  </p>
<p>    “I’m sorry,” she gasped, finally regaining control.  “I am sorry, please continue.”  She swiped her face with her sleeve, removing the tears that had steamed down her face.  That was cathartic; she actually felt better.  </p>
<p>   They both stared at her for just a moment more before turning back to each other.  “Think about it,” Levithan started, “If you make a pact with Aria, you won’t be able to refuse a direct order and she can order you to give me my money back.”  He looked like the cat who ate the canary.  </p>
<p>    Mammon gaped in disbelief turning to Aria.  “What’re ya thinking lettin’ Levi use you like this?  Are you stupid?”<br/>   That was the last straw.  After listening to him complain about her for the majority of their first interactions, his rude comments and inability to call her by her name; she had had enough.  She glared at him.  “Make a pact with me, Mammon.”</p>
<p>    Mammon opened his mouth to object but Leviathan beat him to the punch.  “Luuuucifeeeer, Mammon’s here trying to unfreeze his credit caaaard!”</p>
<p>     Slapping a hand over Levithan’s mouth, Mammon quickly amended, “Of course, I’ll make a pact with you, absolutely thrilled to!”  With that he grabbed her hand and yanked hard, pulling her close to him.  Hand still locked in his, he leaned down putting his lips next to her ear.  “Votum mandatum meum est”, he whispered softly and she felt the tell tale tingle of magic run through her body,  cementing the pact in place.  Mammon pulled back then, looking her straight in the eyes.  He let go of her hand and moved his up to her shoulders.   He smirked then and a moment later he thrust her toward Levithan before grabbing the block of ice and made a break for it.  <br/>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p>
<p> </p>
<p>    Aria poked at her breakfast.  The events of the night before kept her much later than she had planned.  Add to that the fact that she had not had a good night’s sleep since she arrived and she was lucky that she wasn’t face down in her plate right then and there.  A few of the brothers were seated at the table.  Satan and Asmodeus were chatting quietly among themselves while Leviathan watched in horror as Beelzebub scarfed down his food so quickly that he had taken a few bites of plate with it.  </p>
<p>   Asmodeus turned to her.  “I have to say that I am surprised,”  he lilted as he leaned forward on his elbows and put his chin in his hand.   “I never thought that an average human like you would be able to make a pact with Mammon.  And certainly not this fast….”   He tilted his head then and looked at her with uncontained curiosity.  “I guess they really did know what they were doing when they picked you for the exchange program, huh?”</p>
<p>    She sat up straight.  Something in his voice woke her up faster than a shot of espresso.   This one was dangerous.  Everything about him dripped desire and he knew it.  She needed to keep her wits about her with this one before she ended up another notch on his bedpost.  She pushed her plate forward, “I did what I could, that’s all.”</p>
<p>    “There’s no need to be humble,” Satan laughed, “We’re not upset.  Honestly, we think it is funny.”    Aria noted that for the Avatar of Wrath, he seemed to be in a decent mood.  Beside him, Leviathan nodded, obviously pleased to have gotten his money back in the deal. </p>
<p>    Aria stood and picked her plate up, with the intention heading towards the kitchen to place it in the sink.  She could feel Asmodues’s eyes on her as she moved.  “You know,” he mused, “the way things are going, the rest of us might just find ourselves in a pact with Aria as well if we aren’t careful.”  She stopped, turning to look at him.  It was a curious thing for him to say and she wasn’t sure the motivation behind it.  “IF you had your choice,” he prompted, “which one of us would you force a pact with next.”  She made the mistake of meeting his eyes, then, finding herself drawn into them.  She felt warm and she saw him smirk, apparently aware of her distress.  </p>
<p>   She shifted her gaze to the left quickly.  “Beel,” she blurted quickly.  The demon froze, he was midway through stealing the uneaten food off of her plate; which, if she was going to be honest with herself, was more than a little bit adorable.  </p>
<p>  “Uh-Uh, no,” he mumbled through a full mouth of food.  He swallowed and looked back down at her plate. “Though if you were to be willing to make a ton of food, I’d consider it.”  She offered her plate to him and he snatched it up with a huge smile and began to dig in.   His smile was contagious as she watched him.  She looked up to find that Asmodeus’s eyes were still on her.  </p>
<p>    “You won’t be able to tame us as easily as you easily as you did Mammon, Aria.”  The levity had left his voice and his stare no longer held the light of amusement it had a moment ago and it sent shivers down her spine as he turned  from her, effectively ending the conversation.  <br/>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p>
<p>    The rest of the morning went rather smooth, despite the fact that the entire school was talking about her pact with Mammon.  She had a feeling that he was not going to be a fan of that, at all.  </p>
<p>    “I think all this gossip is good,” Lord Diavolo had offered, “It means that everyone is watching Aria and that will make it harder for anyone to go after her soul.”  This was the first time that she had seen the Crowned Prince of Hell since she had first arrived.  To be honest, she had all but forgotten about him with all the drama with the brothers.  “ I must say, I can’t believe that you managed a pact with Mammon.  That was no small feat.  And in such a short time nonetheless.”</p>
<p>   It was weird to Aria that something that had seemed so easy to her had seemed to impress all of the demons around her.  Mammon had not fought making the pact and the actual deed itself was hardly a chore.  She wondered if she chose to make a pact with any other demons, if it would be more time consuming.  Asmodeus had warned her that the rest of them would not be as easy.  </p>
<p>    The conversation continued with Aria being introduced to Diavolo’s steward Barbatos and what she could only describe as some light hearted ribbing from towards Lucifer.  She was also shocked to make the acquaintance of the two  exchange students from the Celestial Realm.  </p>
<p>    “Allow me to introduce you, Aria,” Diavolo had said, sweeping an arm towards the pair.  “This is Simeon.”  The angel was a tall drink of water if Aria had ever seen one.   She couldn’t help but admire that he was beautiful in the way that most people imagined angels.  “ And this is Luke.”  His gaze moved to the smaller angel who looked to be a mere child in comparison to the previous man.  He also seemed to be the subject to a great deal of teasing from the demons.  He was a low-ranking angel but his negative disposition and name dropping made it a little hard to take him too seriously.  </p>
<p>    The bell rang signalling time for class and everyone headed off towards their next task.   Aria  leaned down to get her bag.  She started to stand up to find that Luke was still standing beside her.  The angry look on her face made her understand why they called him a chihuahua.  He looked like he might bite you if the mood struck him right.  </p>
<p>    “Never trust a demon,”  He warned her, “Especially when that demon is Lucifer.”  He turned and left, leaving her standing there, once again confused and a little shaken.<br/>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p>
<p>    That night laying in bed, she ran Luke’s warning through her head over and over.  She had already been wary of Lucifer, but the interactions with the brothers had been non threatening enough overall that she had started to let her guard down.   Hearing Luke tell her not to trust Lucifer had caused that wall to slam back down at full force. </p>
<p>    She closed her eyes, willing herself to get a little bit of sleep so that she could actually function come morning.  Drawing in a deep breath she felt the tell tale signs of sleep creeping over her.   Her mind stopped racing and darkness started to settle over her.  </p>
<p>    “Help.”</p>
<p>    The word was barely a whisper but it reverberated in her, Shocking the sleep back out of her system.  She opened her eyes, checking her surroundings for someone in her room.  There was no one in sight; maybe she was hearing things.</p>
<p>    “Help” </p>
<p>    This time she was sure she heard something.  She pushed herself out of the bed, walking to the closet to get her robe.  She pulled it on, tying it at the waist.  She opened the door and stepped into the hall.  </p>
<p>    “Someone help me.”  The voice seemed to be coming from the end of the hallway.  She felt her legs begin to move by their own volition.  There was not another soul in the hallway as she crept to the end where a large staircase stood.  She hadn’t noticed it previously and could only assume it led to the attic.  She placed a hand on the railing, hesitating slightly but the voice called out again and she began to climb the stairs.  </p>
<p>     “Aria.”   </p>
<p>    She whipped around to find Lucifer standing behind her arms, crossed with a  look of anger plain on his flawless face.  “Stop right there.  You will go no farther, that is not a place for humans.  It’s dangerous.”  Aria glanced up the stairs again, listening for the voice.  “Go to your room.”</p>
<p>    “Why?”  She knew the word was a mistake the moment the word left her mouth.  Annoyance was now mixed in with the anger on Lucifer’s face.  </p>
<p>   “I just told you why,” he growled.  He took a step towards the stairs and she took a step back.  “This is the Devildom.  There are certain rules that must be followed here.”  He took another step and she could hear her heart beating in her chest.  Could he?   “My word is law to you, Aria.  You can’t defy me.” </p>
<p>    She nodded shakily then, not wanting to push him any further.  She took a few steps back.  She was terrified.  He exuded power and Aria was sure that she was not prepared to find out how deep that power ran.  </p>
<p>    “Now,” he purred, pleased that he had finally broken through her calm exterior,  “ return to your room.<br/>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p>
<p>    The mystery at the top of the staircase ate away at her slowly.  Several nights in a row she had attempted to sneak out at night and make her way up the stairs.  Every time she was met with Lucifer and his subtle threats.  If she wanted to find a way in there, she was going to have to do something about him.  Luckily for her, she had recently acquired a money hungry demon who had to do as she said.  </p>
<p>    Mammon was less than thrilled about the pact.  He made this very clearly with the avalanche of complaints that he heaped on Aria that morning at breakfast.  She had stopped listening about the point that he had started complaining about brothers.  It was all irrelevant anyways.  What she needed was information.  </p>
<p>    “What’s at the top of the stairs?”  She had stopped him mid rant about Lucifer’s feet and he was glaring at her now.  </p>
<p>    “Wait, what stairs?” he asked.   “Are you talking about the stairs at the end of the hall that lead to the attic.”  She nodded, stabbing a piece of egg off her plate and taking a bite.  “There you go sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong again.”  </p>
<p>    “For the love Mammon, why does everything have to be so difficult with you,” she groaned.  She still had not managed to get a full night's sleep and found herself more irritated with him that he probably deserved.  </p>
<p>    “You tried to climb those stairs didn’t you?” he started to laugh which did not help to disperse the agitation.  “But Lucifer stopped you, that’s it isn’t it.”  He was almost gleeful.  She wondered if she slapped him now if she could invoke the pact quickly enough to keep him from killing her.  “Well here’s something you need to get straight.  I’m not telling you nothin’.  If I did Lucifer would beat me half to death and that is if I am lucky!”  He fidgeted.  Aria hadn’t realized that he was that afraid of Lucifer; his older brother really must have done a number on him.  She felt for him but this was not something that she was willing to give up on.  Someone could be hurt up there and she needed to find out.  </p>
<p>    She turned her gaze on Mammon and gave him the saddest puppy dog face she could muster.   “I guess if you are really that afraid of Lucifer….”</p>
<p>    “You have got to be kidding me!!”  He stood up quickly shoving his chair against the table.  “I am not the least bit afraid of Lucifer!”</p>
<p>    “Then tell me what’s up those stairs,” she countered.  She had gotten under his skin now, she could feel it. </p>
<p>    “Fine!!  If you want to get up those stairs, you’re going to have to distract Lucifer, right?”  She nodded.  “Well luckily for you, The Great Mammon knows that that is really not that hard to do.”  You know that series Levi likes? Seven…..  Seven…..”</p>
<p>    “The Tale of the Seven Lords,” Aria supplied easily.  Her time with Leviathan had been full of him referencing the series and essentially burning it into her mind.  </p>
<p>    “Yeah that one! Well you need to get your hands on the vinyl soundtrack for that,” he continued.  “Don’t ask me why Lucifer wants it but if you want up those stairs, that is what you need.”  </p>
<p>    She smiled then.  This sounded like it was going to be much easier than she expected.  “C’mon,” she beckoned to Mammon, “You’re going to help me.”<br/>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p>
<p>     Things were not as easy as they sounded.  Mammon had refused to help her for starters.  He had protested so much that she had to invoke the pact and then he complained about that for the next hour.  She had honestly considered using the bond to make him shut up but that just seemed cruel.  </p>
<p>    Her head was pounding by the time they got to Leviathan’s room and found out that he was not going to so much as give them the time of day.  Her attempts to win him over with faked weeb references had failed greatly and they were contemplating breaking down the door.  </p>
<p>    “Well if it isn’t the pair that everyone has been talking about,” a cool voice drawled from down the hall.   Aria turned to find Solomon walking down the hall towards them.  </p>
<p>   “What are you doing here Solomon?” Mammon barked.  Aria was surprised by his brusk manner.  Apparently, Lucifer was not the only brother who disliked Solomon.  </p>
<p>    “Levi invited me,” He shrugged, reaching to knock on the otaku’s door.  “Levi it’s me.”  They exchanged an elaborate password and the door unlatched.  Apparently the two were friends, or for all Aria knew, they had a pact.  She couldn’t help but be impressed, Leviathan was not an easy demon to deal with; she couldn’t imagine being able to talk him into a pact.  </p>
<p>  “I guess I will see you two later then,” Solomon declared, turning to open the door.  Aria turned to walk away but she felt something pull against her wrist.  She looked down to see Solomon’s hand wrapped around it.  She looked up to find herself looking into his eyes again.  They really were lovely.  “I do hope that you and I can find some time to get to know each other better,” he whispered, sending shivers down her spin.  She nodded and he smirked, turning to take his leave, disappearing inside of Leviathan’s room. <br/>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p>
<p>    “I don’t see why I have to be here for this,” Mammon complained loudly as Aria got the DVD of the first TSL dvd into the player, “It’s 12 hours total right?  We will be up all night!”   Aria turned to look at Mammon.  He was pacing as he spoke waving his arms in an animated manner.  </p>
<p>   “Methinks the demon doth protest too much,” Aria sighed standing up and reaching for the remote.  Mammon stopped and shot her a dirty look before he flopped down on her bed beside Beelzebub.  </p>
<p>    “What are ya even doing here, Beel?” Mammon asked his younger brother.  “Don’t you have anything better to do.  </p>
<p>   He shrugged, “A movie marathon means there’s going to be popcorn.”  Mammon sighed with exasperation but Aria found herself smiling.  Beelzebub really was adorable. She settled down on the bed between them, bracing her back against the wall and started the movie.  </p>
<p>    By the end of the twelve hours, Aria had passed out.  Those days of sleeplessness had caught up to her and she had spent most of the last few movies nodding off.  When she was awakened by the sound of Mammon’s simpering, she had found herself laying across Beelzebub’s lap.  Her cheeks burned red as she looked up at him.  He stared at Mammon in disgust while his brother openly sobbed about the ending.  </p>
<p>   She pushed herself up, avoiding eye contact with him and turned off the television.  He stood up stretched before looking at her and smiling.  If he had minded that she had fallen asleep in his lap, he had shown no outward signs.  </p>
<p>   The three of them tidied the room up before Aria opened the door for them.  She stepped out into the hallway, waving to Beelzebub as he made an excuse about needing to get more snacks.  The blush returned to her cheeks.  “Bye Beel!” she called, her cheeks again, hoping that he would not mind her using his nickname he waved and headed off toward the kitchen.  </p>
<p>      She turned back to Mammon.  He was watching her with an odd look on his face.  Almost like he was jealous.  He shook it off quickly and insisted  that they go over some basic trivia about the movies to make sure that she was properly prepared to impress Leviathan.  She was surprised at how much she had remembered, despite having fallen asleep.  </p>
<p>    “I heard what you are up to, human,” Leviathan came stomping down the hall pointing a finger at her.  “I am not going to buddy up with some ‘normie’; do you understand?”  He was right in her face, close enough to touch noses.  This was not how things were supposed to go.  Why the heck was he so mad about her trying to be his friend.  There was no way that he knew about her ulterior motives, they hadn’t told anyone.   An idea to take advantage of his anger popped into her head then.</p>
<p>    “Let’s compete to see who is the bigger TSL fan.”  It was a blatant dare.  She was going to go big or go home.  </p>
<p>    He laughed in her face,  “Do you really think that you could beat me?  That’s hilarious.”  </p>
<p>    “What, are you afraid of losing, Levi?”  she took a step closer to him forcing him back.  “Are you afraid that you would lose to a normie like me? Are you chicken Levi?  Are you nothing but a sad Otaku?  Are you….”  </p>
<p>    He let out an indignant scoff, “Excuse me?!  Have you processed anything that I have said to you?  Fine.  If that’s what you want, I’ll do it!”  His eyes burned with fury.  “I’ll accept your challenge, though if you lose, know that you might not make it back to the human world.”</p>
<p>    He was trying to intimidate her but she was so deep into this now and she knew that she could not bring herself to turn back now.  “You’re going down, Levi.”  He turned heel then, muttering about what a stupid human normie she was.  </p>
<p>   A grin of triumph spread across her face as she turned back to Mammon.  He was still standing there by her door but he was no longer alone.  Satan and Beel stood beside him.  </p>
<p>    “Hello, Aria,”  Satan smiled, “I heard what’s happening.”</p>
<p>    “Are you trying to figure out what is in the attic,” Beel asked her. She wanted to tell him but she was worried if she did that they would discourage her.  He stared at Aria for a moment  waiting for her response.  When it was obvious she wasn’t going to give him one he looked her over before he resumed speaking.  “I’ll let you in on a nice piece of information.  Levi is the demon of envy.  Work him up and make him jealous; it’ll make him lose control.  If you do that, he is guaranteed to slip up and give you an opening.”  </p>
<p>   “Thank you, Beel,” Aria replied.  She was confused about why he was helping her.  Levi was his brother and she was just some random addition into their lives.  She wasn’t at all sure what it meant but it gave her butterflies thinking about it.  </p>
<p>    “One thing, though,” he added softly, “If Levi does lose control, your life will be in danger.”</p>
<p>   “I’ll give you a piece of advice, too,” Satan interjected.  He was smirking.  Aria got the impression that he enjoyed a good conflict.  “The DVD version of TSL has yet to catch up with the book series, you might want to find someone to help you fill in that missing knowledge.”  </p>
<p>    “Why are you helping me,” she asked them.  Beel was one thing but Satan was a whole other mystery entirely.  </p>
<p>   “Don’t read too much into it,” he said flashing her a conspiratorial smile, “I just enjoy making things difficult for Lucifer.”  He winked at her then and turned back to his brother.  Aria took a minute to process everything before she headed back inside her room.  It had been a long night and it was time for her to finally get some sleep.<br/>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p>
<p>Aria raised a fist and rapped firmly on the door of Solomon’s room.  It had been a rash decision to approach him for help but after seeing how well he got along with Levi, she felt that he was her best chance of besting Levi.  She took a minute to smooth her uniform and tuck her hair behind her ears.  She had taken the time to apply a bit of make-up before heading out and she felt confident that she looked presentable; especially after her first full night of sleep.  </p>
<p>     She raised her hand to knock again and the door swung open to reveal Solomon, clad only in a pair of slacks, rubbing a towel over his wet hair.  Words failed Aria as she took him in.    While he was not as beautiful in the classic way of the brothers, he was striking nonetheless.  There was something very appealing about his small imperfections, something alluringly human.  </p>
<p>    “Hello Aria.”  He looked surprised to see her, though he didn’t let it show on his face long.  “How unexpected to find you turning up at my doorstep.”  Ah, there it was, the arrogance that she was used to.  It nudged her from her evaluation of his shirtlessness and brought her back to her task.  </p>
<p>    “I am sorry to intrude.  I was hoping that maybe you could help me with something,”  she smiled sweetly at him and there was a detectable note of hope in her tone.  </p>
<p>    “My help?” he asked, once again allowing an intrigued look to pass his handsome features.  “Of course, why don’t you come in and we can discuss it further.”  He took a step back pulling the door wide and gestured her inside.  </p>
<p>    She stepped through the door finding herself a lavish room.  Tones of navy and red covered all of the upholstered surfaces, giving the room a dark but regal feel.  The walls were dark gray and lined with shelf after shelf of what looked to be ancient books.  There was a small antique desk that filled one corner and an enormous bed that filled the space in front of the opposite wall. </p>
<p>     Solomon shut the door and watched her take in his room.  “Lord Diavolo was very considerate in his room assignments.”  He walked towards the shelf of books.  “ I don’t think that even I have such a solid grasp on what my style is.” He ran his hand along a row of books and pulled out a volume.  He flipped through it quickly before turning back to her.  “I suppose that you are here to ask my help with your challenge with Levi?”</p>
<p>    News really did spread fast in Devildom.  Aria nodded, “I was hoping that since you were such good friends with Levithan, that you could help me learn a little more about TSL.”</p>
<p>    “You want me to help you gain an advantage?” He queried. She nodded. “I don’t think it is possible to give you an advantage over him in something that he is so clearly obsessed about.”  He looked lost in thought for a minute.  “But what we can do is review the newer material that was not covered by the movies and possibly throw him off his game a bit.”  </p>
<p>    Aria smiled, “Honestly, I think that any bit of help would be nice.”    He gestured at a small table to her left.  She approached it, setting her bag on the floor and pulled out a chair before sitting down.  He approached slowly, coming to stand behind her.  He smelled strongly of peppermint and rosemary as he reached around her setting a book on the table in front of her.  Moving to her left side, he crouched down, opening the book and flipping past chapter one.  “The entire first chapter recaps the end of the last, it is non-essential information that you will have already learned.”  He stopped flipping and pointed at a spot on the page.  She leaned in paying close attention.  “This is where the storyline picks up again.”  </p>
<p>    He turned to look at her, questions in his eyes.  “Why is it that you are so desperate to beat Levi at this?”  His tone was not malicious but rather inquisitive. “Are you trying to bargain a pact with him?”  </p>
<p>   The question took her a bit off guard but she did her best not to let it show.  “What if I am?”</p>
<p>  He stood then tossing his towel over his shoulder.  “Then I would recommend that you get to studying that book.  Levi is a hard demon to convince to be social, let alone make a pact.  You are going to really have to work hard to convince him you are worth it.”  </p>
<p>    “And were you able to convince him,” she asked, her curiosity rising.  </p>
<p>    “No,” he said with an amused smile, “I was not.”  He looked at her like a puzzle that he was dying to solve.  Part of her wanted to know what it would feel like to have him try.  “Why don’t you look that over while I finish getting dressed.  We can go over the material together when I am done.”  She agreed and he walked into the bathroom.  </p>
<p>    She started reading, finding herself fully immersed in the story.  She reached into her bag and pulled out her notebook to jot down notes about things she thought might be included in the quiz.  Placing it on the table, she returned her hand to the bag, groping for a pen but having no success.  She pulled the bag into her lap and rooted around inside.  Still none.   She looked around Solomon’s room, eyes settling on his desk.  He was bound to have one there, right?</p>
<p>    She rose from the table and made her way over to the desk.  It was by far the most unorganized thing in the entire room.  Loose paper and scraps decorated the table among tools and devices that she didn’t recognize.  There were books of every shape and size piled on any available space.  </p>
<p>    She adjusted the papers slightly hoping to find a pen in the mess.  It was then that her eyes settled on the most beautiful ornate book that she had ever seen.  It was a deep brown leather with gold binding; on the cover was a symbol that was oddly familiar but yet unknown to her at the same time; like a cross between the star of David and a pentagram.  Her hand brushed over the book and she immediately felt a tremor rip through her body.  </p>
<p> ‘What is this’, she thought as she lifted the cover.  Inside were elaborate diagrams and text in a language that she didn’t understand. She recalled then that she had been told that Solomon was a sorcerer.   Could this be Solomon’s spellbook?!  </p>
<p>    Suddenly a hand seized hers and she glanced up to find herself looking into Solomon’s eyes.  The look on his face was one of cruel amusement as he reached across the desk to shut the book.  </p>
<p>     “Has no one ever told you,”  he closed the space between them with a single step, “that it is rude to snoop through someone else's possessions?”  She attempted to pull her wrist from his grasp but his grip held steady.  </p>
<p>    “ I- I’m sorry, I know I had no right”, she stammered, “curiosity got the better of me.” Her voice was barely more than a whisper.  He smiled down at her, a strange glint in his eyes.  </p>
<p>    “Oh Aria, you know what they say about curiosity, don’t you?” With that she lunged to the right, hoping to catch him off guard, but he was prepared.  He jerked her arm, hard, bringing her back in front of him before seizing her other wrist, pulling both her arms above her head and pushing her against the wall.   He was pressed so close against her that she could feel the slow rise and fall of his chest.  Breath did not come as effortlessly for her as he took both her wrists in one hand and began to run the back of one finger down the line of her jaw.  Her breath hitched with both fear and a bit of…. a bit of excitement?  </p>
<p>    The noise was not lost to Solomon’s ears and his hand went to the back of Aria’s head and was wrapped in her hair in an instant.  He pulled, turning her head to the side so that he could bring his mouth to her ear. </p>
<p>   “Curiosity killed the cat,” his lips brushed her ear. He stepped back and dropped her arms.  He walked back to the desk and picked up the book.  He contemplated it for a moment then pulled open a drawer and placed it inside.  Aria watched as he moved a key from his pocket and locked the drawer soundly.  Her breathing had slowed but emotions still warred inside of her.  What the hell was that?  </p>
<p>     He turned to her, his face neutral, “ You should take your leave now, I think that our business is done for today.”  Aria collected her bag from the floor, head still reeling and walked to the door that he had since opened for her.  His arm came down suddenly and blocked her path.  She felt him lean down, the smirk evident in his voice.  </p>
<p>    “Curiosity may have killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.  When you are ready to face your curiosity, I will be more than happy to satisfy.”  With that he removed his arm and allowed her to step into the hallway with the door shutting behind her.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>